Henri of Navarre

19

Blois Castle, October 1587. After a long journey, Henri of Navarre decided to visit his cousin Henry III at the Blois Castle. The logs crackled in the fireplace, driving away the autumn dampness of the Parisian Blois Castle. Henri of Navarre, throwing off his embroidered doublet, sat down in a leather chair right next to the fire. He stretched his feet in traveling boots to the warmth, and in his hands he held a thick, tattered book - "Gargantua and Pantagruel" by Mr. Rabelais. On the table next to him stood an unfinished goblet of good Jurançon wine. Only the corners of his lips twitched every now and then in a suppressed smile. He read. He read, forgetting about the military council that had just ended, about the disputes with the Catholic leagues, about the betrayal of the Valois family. He plunged into the world created by the great mocker François Rabelais. Henri stared at the dancing tongues of flame. The smile slowly left his face, replaced by a thoughtful, slightly tired expression. Political intrigue takes a lot of energy, but his future is at stake. Henri sipped wine from his cup and began to read this book again, which he had already read more than once. You are the new servant at the Blois castle. You are smart, clever and cunning beyond measure.